Wilson's high-effort hustle play proved as critical as his second-quarter touchdown pass in keying the Seahawks' 24-14 wild-card win against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

It was a statement play that proved to the Redskins, a roaring FedEx Field crowd of 84,325 and a national television audience that these tough, physical Seahawks have done and will do everything needed to be a real-deal Super Bowl contender.

Start with the 5-11, 206-pound Wilson, arguably the biggest reason why his 12-5 team advanced to next Sunday's divisional battle against the NFC's top-seeded Atlanta Falcons inside the Georgia Dome.

In a duel of electric rookie of the year-quality quarterbacks Wilson and Robert Griffin III, the third-round pick thought to be too short to be an NFL starter remains the last rookie quarterback standing in this postseason party.

Griffin didn't finish after aggravating his sprained right knee, and fellow rookie Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts went one-and-done against the Baltimore Ravens.

It was one thing for Wilson to throw a 4-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to Michael Robinson in rallying his team from a 14-0 second-quarter deficit.

But Wilson proved the hustling face of the gritty, overshadowed Seahawks when he raced downfield to take out cornerback Josh Wilson on Lynch's game-turning 27-yard touchdown run with 7:08 left.

"That just shows the kind of player he is,'' cornerback Richard Sherman said. "It's the playoffs, and everybody has to do their part. It's not the first time he's thrown a block. He's a great quarterback. And he should be the offensive rookie of the year. I like RGIII, too. But our guy has stepped up and showed up for us when we needed him.''

Wilson played a clean, turnover-free game, completing 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards with a touchdown. He has thrown 17 touchdowns with two interceptions in leading the Seahawks to eight wins in their last nine games.

"I do believe we play with a chip on our shoulder because we have an energy that makes us want to prove ourselves every week,'' Wilson said. "We can play with anyone, any time and any place. That is our mentality.''

Wilson radiated a calming, leader's presence that kept his team believing amid the raucous FedEx Field atmosphere. He was backed by a big, fast, punishing league-best scoring defense that allowed 15.3 points a game during the regular season.

Then there is Lynch, who gouged the Redskins for 132 yards on 20 carries as the Seahawks powered to 224 rushing yards on 37 carries.

Lynch declined to answer questions at his locker when approached by news media members afterward, behavior likely to draw a fine from the league office.

Asked by USA TODAY Sports about Wilson's block, Lynch said, "Russell could probably tell you better than I can,'' before putting his headphones on and leaving the locker room.

That has been Lynch's boorish way, even after churning for his 11th 100-yard rushing game, including his fifth in a row.

But Wilson's fellow Richmond, Va., native Robinson made up for Lynch with effusive praise for his quarterback.

"That (block) just showed great football awareness by Russell that he understands the concept of the play and that Marshawn would be cutting back,'' Robinson said.

Besides having a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback with an accurate, deep arm, the Seahawks raised their confidence anew in showing that, despite a 3-5 road record, they can win a big game away from CenturyLink Field, where they were 8-0.

"We weathered the storm,'' Carroll said. "I thought the run that Marshawn makes on the last touchdown run was a great run. It was a great finish.''

Of course, it helped that Griffin III couldn't finish after his sprained right knee buckled in nightmarish fashion chasing down a low snap from center Will Montgomery with 6:19 left.

Fellow rookie Kirk Cousins came on but couldn't complete the comeback after the Seahawks recovered Griffin's fumble, and Steven Hauschka's third field goal put Seattle up by the final margin.

Cornerback Brandon Browner illustrated his team's chip-on-the-shoulder mentality when he fired back at Redskins receiver Pierre Garcon, who told USA TODAY Friday he didn't even know Browner's first name.

"They didn't respect us,'' Browner said. "Before the game, Garcon said he didn't even know my name. They had no respect for us.

"They know my name now. He has the whole offseason to think about it.''

This is fellow cornerback Marcus Trufant's 10th year with the Seahawks, and he called this the scariest Seahawks team yet, even better than the 2005 version led by running back Shaun Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck that lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.

"I definitely feel like nobody wants to see us,'' rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "We're just going to keep riding momentum no matter where we play.''